Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

वर्णाश्च हंसपतंगोर्ध्वांचनसत्यांगसंज्ञाश्चत्वारो भगवंतं सूर्यं यजंते

Transliteration

varṇāśca haṃsapataṃgordhvāṃcanasatyāṃgasaṃjñāścatvāro bhagavaṃtaṃ sūryaṃ yajaṃte

Translation

അവിടെ ഹംസം, പതംഗം, ഊർധ്വാഞ്ചനം, സത്യാംഗം എന്നിങ്ങനെ പേരുള്ള നാല് വർണങ്ങൾ ഭഗവാൻ സൂര്യദേവനെ ആരാധിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• वर्णाः: classes; groups
• वर्णाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction/समुच्चय)

• हंस-पतंग-ऊर्ध्व-अञ्चन-सत्य-अङ्ग-संज्ञाः: having the names Haṃsa, Pataṅga, Ūrdhva, Añcana, Satya, Aṅga
• हंस-पतंग-ऊर्ध्व-अञ्चन-सत्य-अङ्ग-संज्ञाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: haṃsa + pataṅga + ūrdhva + añcana + satya + aṅga + saṃjñā (प्रातिपदिकानि; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (हंसादि-संज्ञा येषां ते)

• चत्वारः: four
• चत्वारः: Visheshana (Numeral qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catvāra (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; संख्या-विशेषणम् (वर्णाः)

• भगवन्तम्: the blessed; venerable
• भगवन्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; (सूर्यं) विशेषणम्

• सूर्यम्: the Sun
• सूर्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• यजन्ते: worship
• यजन्ते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yaj (यज् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gomeda-dvīpa (Sūrya-upāsanā-bhūmi)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Four distinct communities—Haṃsa, Pataṃga, Ūrdhvāṃcana, Satyāṃga—stand in orderly rows facing a radiant Sūrya-maṇḍala, offering arghya with copper vessels; the sky glows with dawn colors.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Sun is revered as a universal sustainer; dharma expresses itself as orderly, collective worship of the presiding deity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; this is a cosmological note on Sūrya-upāsanā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship (yajana) of Sūrya is indicated, implying offerings and solar devotion.